James "Doc" Reichenbach II to the Motorcyclist Advisory Council to the Federal Highway Administration (MAC-FHWA):?????

My Letter to Mary Peters Secretary Dept. of Transportation, e-mail address  mary.peters@dot.gov
address to forward to   mike.halladay@dot.gov     :

The Honorable Mary Peters
Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000

Dear Ms. Peters.

There has been a report that you have appointed ABATE of Florida President and lobbyist James D. Reichenbach II to  the Motorcyclist Advisory Council to the Federal Highway Administration (MAC-FHWA).

This is absurd and decisions such as this will destroy any credibility or integrity the Motorcyclist Advisory Council to the Federal Highway Administration could possibly hope to achieve.

Have you vetted this individual?   Are you aware of this mans history?

Are you aware that he lied to his membership over monies reportedly received?
http://pub42.bravenet.com/forum/3562429698/fetch/648676/

Are you aware that he was found by the State of Florida to be in violation for failure to file financial disclosure as per the laws pertaining to state lobbyists.
http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2008/01/abate-of-florida-president-and-lobbyist.html

Are you aware that he, in print, declared a bill (HB137) sponsored by Representative Lopez-Cantera dead and urged the motorcyclists of Florida to "not" write there representatives regarding there feelings on this proposed law, when in fact the bill was never dead and ended up becoming law?
http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2008/01/brief-chronology-of-fl-hb137-and.html
http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2007/10/is-abate-of-florida-claiming-territory.html
http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2007/11/one-letter-from-politician-cantera-one.html

Are you aware he has members kicked out of ABATE of Florida in violation of his own organizations bylaws?

Are you aware that he has barred members from the public from attending meetings advertised as being open to the public?
http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2008/04/abate-of-florida-bars-rc-from-entering.html

Are you aware that the State of Florida Department of Highway Safety has had numerous questions as to how and where grant monies have been spent?
http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2007/07/is-it-possible-to-get-screwedby-feds.html

Are you aware that he holds the positions of both Paid lobbyist of the state of Florida and unpaid President of ABATE of Florida and Chairman of Board of Directors of NCOM leaving him not only facing numerous accusations of conflicts of interest but of also being in a unique position to abuse his power by attempting to stifle opposition?
http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2008/07/former-whitesands-chapter-president-of.html


Are you aware that in a state meeting discussing the lobbyist position he used this power to shut down opposition in violation of organizations by-laws by violating Robert Rules of Order?

Are you a aware that in a committee meeting during a discussion of an issue (SB2372- April -07) his organization tasked him to vote against, he voted for in direct violation of his duties?
http://pub42.bravenet.com/forum/3562429698/fetch/802599/
http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2007/04/war-goes-on-but.html

Are you aware that an accurate count of the membership of ABATE of Florida is only a guess as some members report being counted more than once and Chapter presidents have complained of dead members being maintained on the roles?

Are you aware that ABATE of Florida represents 1% +/- of the motorcycling population in the state of Florida?

Have you Spoken with the Florida Department of Highway Safety to inquire as to why ABATE of Florida grant money is a constant problem?
http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/2007/07/is-it-possible-to-get-screwedby-feds.html
Barbara Lauer, Chief, Bureau of Driver Education and DUI Programs (850) 617-2529  http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/profiles/6065/a

Ms. Peters, as a former ABATE of Florida Chapter President who left ABATE after watching  manipulations of people and money so bizarre it would be laughable were it not so damaging to the rights of individuals, much less "Motorcyclists".  The thought that you would even consider for a moment such an individual as a committee member only deepens my commitment to the cause of "bikers rights." Because if this report is even remotely true it can only demonstrate that the incompetence accusations laid at your departments doorstep by many in the motorcycling  community, are not just validated, but worse than thought.

But continue on. As appointments such as this will only make it easier to refute any advise or recommendations the advisory council may choose to give.

This e-mail can be found posted at  http://www.bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/   and as many other websites as possible.  We eagerly await your response. 
rc
Publisher "Let Freedom Reign"
http://bigbendbikersforfreedom.com/
B.O.L.T.

Bruce Arnolds Letter Posted here:
The Honorable Mary Peters
Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000

Dear Ms. Peters:

I just read an unconfirmed report that you have appointed James "Doc" Reichenbach II to the Motorcyclist Advisory Council to the Federal Highway Administration (MAC-FHWA):

http://tinyurl.com/4une2g

James "Doc" Reichenbach II, who in 2005 lied to the ABATE of Florida membership about a $500,000 "safety grant":

http://tinyurl.com/4ovpbq

James "Doc" Reichenbach II, who later tried to clean up his story when he first attempted to slither into a seat on the committee:

http://tinyurl.com/4e4b2m

James "Doc" Reichenbach II, who went back to selling his "Big Lie" when someone in DC showed the good sense not to taint the committee with Reichenbach's presence:

http://tinyurl.com/3vlnml

James "Doc" Reichenbach II, who allegedly offered to sell out Florida's sportbikers on HB-137 in return for stiffer penalties legislation:

http://tinyurl.com/4yl6dc

James "Doc" Reichenbach II, who then denied any involvement when his alleged collusion with headline-seeking anti-biker politico Carlos Lopez-Cantera (R-FL) was exposed:

http://tinyurl.com/3qtt6s

James "Doc" Reichenbach II, whose questionable actions regarding a number of issues over the years have caused some of ABATE of Florida's most dedicated freedom fighters to resign from the organization:

http://tinyurl.com/59syo7

James "Doc" Reichenbach II, whose tyrannical mismanagement of ABATE of Florida even led to the voluntary dissolution of one of its finest chapters:

http://tinyurl.com/5bglyk

James "Doc" Reichenbach II, whose alleged collusion with anti-biker forces on HB-137 et al not only failed to put stiffer penalties laws on the books, but also resulted in ALL Florida motorcyclists getting saddled with one of the most draconian and discriminatory anti-motorcycle measures ever to become law:

http://tinyurl.com/4szays


SAY IT AIN'T SO, MARY.

The Bush Administration failed us on 9-11, and in eight years has failed to capture Osama Bin Laden.  The Bush Administration has wasted thousands of brave American lives--and billions of dollars we did not have--fighting a war on false pretenses.  The Bush Administration has destroyed our reputation abroad, and our economy at home.  Today, the Bush Administration succeeded in shoving down the throats (or should I say up the a**es) of our struggling middle class a Near-Trillion Dollar "Pork Barrel Bailout" that will raise our national debt so high that even our grandchildren may not live long enough to pay it off:

http://tinyurl.com/zb3x2

And now, along with all that corruption and incompetence, you want to seat James "Doc" Reichenbach II on the MAC-FWHA?

Well, Ms. Peters, that certainly would be the consistent thing for you to do...

Speaking strictly for myself and no other individuals or organizations,

Bruce Arnold

Bruce@LdrLongDistanceRider.com
Author and Publisher, LdrLongDistanceRider.com
Co-Moderator, Bruce-n-Ray's Biker Forum
Mile Eater Gold Member, Iron Butt Association (IBA)
Member, Bikers of Lesser Tolerance (BOLT of Florida)
Sustaining Member, Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF)
2007 Chairman's Circle, American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)

Murdering Janklow continues "to get away with it" to

And from the Dragon:

Former South Dakota governor and U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow is back behind the wheel, but he still isn't following the rules of the road.

Janklow, who served 100 days in jail and lost his license for three years after being convicted of second-degree manslaughter for running a stop sign and killing a Minnesota motorcyclist five years ago, was ticketed Tuesday night, when he struck a parked vehicle in a grocery store parking lot and failed to report it.

Witnesses told Sioux Falls, S.D., police that Janklow was turning his pickup truck down the aisle of a parking lot outside a grocery store when the horse trailer he was pulling struck a parked Honda.  Janklow, witnesses said, got out of his truck, surveyed the damage, moved on, parked his rig and went into the store and purchased groceries and drove away without reporting the incident.

http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2008/09/25/3644/south_dakotas_janklow_back_behind_the_wheel_ticketed_for_driving_incidentAdd to Technorati Favorites

HOG Heaven not so heavenly at the moment

Thanks to Artie for this one:

Excerpts from The Courier. Read the whole story here.

By Jamie Nash
Updated: 10.02.08
EAST COUNTY – More than $500,000 in Harley-Davidson motorcycles and parts were recovered Wednesday morning when law enforcement raided a Grangerland-area home and arrested a man for allegedly stealing the bikes and selling the parts on eBay.

Jody Floyd Mathes, 50, was arrested and charged with first-degree felony theft and a felony drug charge after multiple law enforcement agencies converged on his residence off FM 3083 and found the Harley-Davidson motorcycles and parts, along with 5 grams of methamphetamine and a .357 Magnum handgun, officials said.

Officers seized Mathes’ computer, printer and fax machine for further investigation, Womack said.

Mathes had been running a profitable eBay business selling the motorcycle parts and trafficking narcotics, police said.

Mathes was on parole for another conviction involving drugs, according to a search of public records and officers on scene.

“We found 13 complete Harleys that run an average of $20,000 each, six additional stripped bike frames and 30 motors and transmissions that didn’t go with any bike on scene,” Moore said.

The value of the recovered parts is an estimated $300,000, he said.

Officers also recovered a golf cart and a four-wheeler.

Moore said there was evidence of approximately 50 Harleys and one other motorcycle at the residence.

Officers located license plates from bikes stolen in Montgomery County, Harris County, Bandera, Boerne and the state of Oklahoma, he said.

Officials say the number of bikes stolen in the county over the past year have dramatically risen, from an average of about 15 to 58 last year – 48 of them were Harleys.

An auto theft officer on the scene said some bike owners called their office in tears when they reported their bikes were stolen.

“For a lot of people, it’s not what they drive, it’s who they are,” he said.Add to Technorati Favorites

Grieving mother strives to save other motorcycle riders

We have said it before, we will say it again. This woman is a one man MSO (Motorcycle Safety Organization) and deserves all the recognition she gets.


SAFETY HARBOR — It was late afternoon on May 19, 2005, on a busy street bordering one of the countless subdivisions in Hillsborough County.


Gene Pearson, a 31-year-old Pinellas County sheriff's corrections officer, was riding his motorcycle with two of his friends when a vehicle pulled out in front of him and Gene ran into the back of the man's car.

He died instantly from head trauma.


So did a part of his mother, Diane Pearson of Safety Harbor. She has since become a crusader for motorcycle safety, spreading her message mainly through purple bumper stickers that say Look Twice — Save a Life. Motorcycles Are Everywhere.


But she didn't know the road she was about to travel that day in 2005. All she knew was that her child was lying still under a yellow tarp. And she couldn't get to him.

• • •

Gene Pearson's brother, David Pearson, called his mother and told her Gene had been in an accident. She thought he was hurt and was in the hospital being treated and believed that was where her husband Gene, now 65, was taking her. But instead, she was taken to the scene of the crash.


She saw the yellow tarp and that was when she knew he was dead.


She was dazed and in shock.


"Time stood still,'' she said "Everything was in slow motion, just as they say.''


Gene's motorcycle was in pieces scattered all over the road. Flashing emergency lights blinded her.


She sat on a curb for four hours and looked at the yellow tarp covering her son's remains.


"I tried to run to it and everybody stopped me,'' she said. "I wanted to see him.''


But officers would not let her near his body.


She still is upset with law enforcement for keeping her away from her son's body.


She could have handled what was under the tarp, but she could not handle not holding his hand one more time or stroking his hair.

• • •

After the accident, Pearson, now 62, and a grandmother who works as a technical librarian at Gulf Aerospace in Oldsmar, met a woman in Georgia named Kathy Malone.


She had seen the purple bumper sticker on someone's car and traced it to Malone through the Internet.


Malone, who had also lost a son in a motorcycle accident, created the slogan "Look Twice — Save a Life. Motorcycles Are Everywhere."


The two became friends and Pearson decided to join Malone's cause and help distribute the signs.


You've probably seen them.


They are everywhere.


The message is on a billboard on Ulmerton Road, bus shelters, buses and benches.


They are available at Department of Motor Vehicles in Pinellas, Polk and Hillsborough counties and at Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant.


"We run out every month,'' said Bill Church, owner of the popular motorcycle hangout.


He said the stickers are plastered all over the restaurant, even in the bathroom.


"People read them and pay attention to them,'' he said.


Every Wednesday night is bike night at Quaker Steak and Lube. It attracts thousands of riders.


Sadly, every year, 20 to 30 of those Church either knows of or have visited the restaurant are killed while riding.


"It's dangerous out there,'' he said.


Ron Galletti, 46, owner of Born to Ride Magazine, inserts them into subscriptions he sends out. He also passes them out at events.


"The passion (Diane Pearson) has, it can't help but make a difference,'' he said.


He believes it's not just the car drivers who should look twice — better yet three or four times — but motorcyclists as well.


"The more educated motorcyclists are going to survive the mean streets,'' Galletti said. "It's really a two-way street.''


Diane Pearson said she has given away 56,000 stickers over the past 21/2 years, all for free.


She sends out 3,000 bumper stickers a month at a cost of $700.


She depends on contributions and devotes hours every week to the movement.

• • •

She does it to honor Gene.


He had been riding motorcycles since he was 18. He was a safe rider. He always wore his helmet, leather jacket and gloves. He never got a ticket.


He served in the Coast Guard for four years. In his Coast Guard photo, he looks strong and proud.


"He was a son, an uncle, a brother and a great friend,'' Diane Pearson said.


"He loved to help people. If a person needed a friend, he was the best friend the person could ever have.''


But when she closes her eyes, she doesn't see the Coast Guard photo, or the pictures with Gene and his nephew. She sees that yellow tarp.


Gene was under there.


If your of a mind to to donate to a charitable cause where all the money goes to  helping to keep motorcyclists alive check out her site here.  Some people suffer tragedies and become paralyzed, some turn them into victories.Add to Technorati Favorites

What bailout? The one for Pork Farmers?

As we speak the Washington bottom feeders,you know, Congress, have just finished a group hugging, butt patting and as usual, nauseating press conference announcing their passage of the "Bail out"???


So how come the Dow's reaction since this announcement of, o.k. ya got us over a barrel so we are going to reward your malfeasence with Bail money (unlike bail however, they won't have to show in court), is like that of a yo-yo bouncing up and down between negative and positive territory?


Ummm, Could it because we also got the worse jobs report in 5 years today.  Hmmmmm, so will we be looking at a bailout for thhose who have been thrown out of work by the actions of both congress and corporate fat cats?   HA!!!


As a matter of fact the President just now finished lying by congratulating congress for passing a bill that does not waste taxpayer dollars.  Well check out Shirley's, aka the Girl Geek, site "The Delaware
Curmudgeon  for a little heads up of what's in the bail out that we are paying for. Try the following posts as she tracks this insult to energy while I check on the stock price of K-Y Jelly.

 http://delawarecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2008/10/wtf-i-still-say-no-crash-and-burn-baby.html

http://delawarecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2008/10/another-installment-of.html


Then go to the Delaware libertarian here for a good perspective on just why in the hell should we be bailing out Auto makers at the same time.


Now I for one are in complete agreement with Shirley when shes says "No, Crash and Burn Baby!"


And surprisingly on my little forays into the streets of late I'm hearing a lot of folk, who can't afford it now, who completely understand what the consequences would be, are saying the same thing, "NO, crash and burn!"   And why are they saying that when the consequences for this country and their own lives would be devastating?  Because they are sick and tired of being screwed over and are willing to go broke just to see  fat cats and politicians taken out.


I wonder if the Corporate Government Coalition is aware of the seeds of revolution they are planting.


The common folk  are waking up. And it's about damn time.

To quote Girl Geek, "Heh!"Add to Technorati Favorites

Liberal or Conservative, watch the damn road.

A friend (Tilex) and I were talking the other day about this inane differintiation between republicans and democrats when the truth is they are all whores. When he came up with this way perfect (sorry, I watched "School of Rock' last night) analogy that  hope I can get right here:

Remember when you and your brothers and/or sisters and or by yourself were kids in the back seat of your parents car as they drove down the road fighting. Probably about something stupid as hell. But neither one of them willing to budge. Instead they would just get louder, use hand gestures and the car would start weaving.

And being kids we couldn't figure out which one was right , unless it was an issue so obvious even kids can get it. But we knew if we opened our mouths we would get it.  But we also knew one other thing.

If they didn't quit their damn fighting and get their eye on the road it was not going to be a good end.

In fact how many times did you just want to holler out, could you all shut up and keep your eye on the road?  Your scaring the hell out of us.

So this liberal/conservative/democrat/Republican thing is bogus o.k.  Cause a heap of us are looking for another driver.Add to Technorati Favorites